Cibitoke : report cards held hostage by volunteer teachers

SOS Médias Burundi

Cibitoke, June 29, 2025 – For several months, a silent crisis has been shaking secondary schools in Cibitoke province (northwestern Burundi). Volunteer teachers, locally known as “Abakutsakivi,” are refusing to hand over pupils’ report cards. The cause : bonuses promised by the government, but still unpaid. This situation is paralyzing the end of the school year and fueling concerns and tensions in the education sector.

As the end of the school year approaches, several secondary schools, including Cibitoke Secondary School, Butara Secondary School, Mère de Sauveur Secondary School (a boarding school), and the Cibitoke District Technical Secondary School, are in a bind.
The “Abakutsakivi,” young graduates recruited to fill the teacher shortage, refuse to submit their report cards until they receive the promised compensation.

“I’m owed eight months’ worth of bonuses. Every month, they make me believe I’m going to be paid, but I don’t see anything coming. I’m exhausted and I can’t afford to go on,” laments a volunteer assigned to a public secondary school in the city of Cibitoke.

According to these teachers, some are living in precarious conditions and are even threatened with eviction by their landlords for being unable to pay their rent.

Tensions are rising between schools and parents.

Faced with this situation, some school principals have taken a radical decision : to simply suspend the issuance of report cards. This measure, far from easing tensions, has rekindled the anger of parents worried about their children’s future.

Interviewed by SOS Médias Burundi, Joseph Nyandwi, Provincial Director of Education in Cibitoke, acknowledged the legitimacy of the volunteer teachers’ demands. However, he condemned the method used :
“It’s true that they haven’t been paid yet, but holding grades hostage is not the solution. The state is in the process of mobilizing the necessary funds. They must be patient.”

The provincial official warned that disciplinary measures could be taken against those who refuse to cooperate.

A systemic problem

For education specialists, this crisis is a symptom of the structural flaws in the Burundian education system, which still relies heavily on volunteers to fill the shortage of qualified personnel.
“These young people have worked in difficult conditions, without pay. It’s normal for them to demand what they are owed. Threatening them is not the right response. We need a structural solution and payment guarantees to prevent this situation from recurring,” argued an education expert we met in Buganda.

In the meantime, parents, pupils, and teachers hope for a swift resolution to the crisis so that the school year can end peacefully.